


A Father's Day to Remember

by jellybeansarecool



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adoption, Darillium (Doctor Who), F/M, Father's Day, Presents, a smattering of angst, and accompanied by some red wine and whiskey, but a good heap of fluff, flying a kite, mentions of murder and blood, unashamedly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 19:59:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19236064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellybeansarecool/pseuds/jellybeansarecool
Summary: In this AU of the time that River and the Doctor spent on Darillium they find themselves surrounded by murder and mystery and a little boy who needs a home. A short little fic to celebrate all the great dads (and mums) out there and will absolutely include some kite-flying.





	A Father's Day to Remember

**Author's Note:**

> I messaged my mum back in Canada telling her that I wanted to write a short little something and she mentioned how my Dad had been flying a kite with one of my younger brothers. She thought that since it was Father's Day this weekend over there that I could do a little something for that. So here you go, thanks to my mum you get this little angsty, fluffy fic.

It was three years almost to the day since the Doctor and River had had that first dinner on the balcony of that famed restaurant across from the singing towers. Many things had happened over those three years, they had bought a house, River had started teaching, and the Doctor had set up a small bookshop (though everyone knew it was so he could regale the children of the small town with wild and fantastic stories of his own). Despite all the ups and downs that had transpired over the years, it was the event that marked their three-year anniversary on Darillium that would forever stand out in the Doctor’s mind. 

He had been shooing out the last of the tots at the end of the day, it wouldn’t do to invoke the wrath of their mothers for sending them home late to supper _again_ , when River’s little buggy bounced up the road. A smile broke out across his face, no matter how many times she drove up to their stretch of the street it warmed his heart to see the old beat up vehicle make its way home. She had a newer, sleeker, faster, model for road trips and afternoon drives with her husband, but she laboriously kept the little red bug working for her time spent at the university in the nearby city. 

When the car got closer, however, the Doctor realized that something was wrong. River’s hair was still tied up atop her head where she had placed it while she was researching, her eyebrows were drawn together in a slight frown, and as she pulled the car to a stop he could see that she had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Closing the door behind him the ancient Time Lord rushed to his wife as she slipped out of the vehicle. 

He caught her as she fell into his arms. He tried to question her but she just shook her head even as she had it pressed against his chest. After a few moments, he realized that she was mumbling against his shirt. 

“What is it dear?” He asked. 

He could barely make out what she was saying but it sounded, no felt, like a roll of apologies. 

He pulled her gently away from his shirt, she frowned up at him, “Tell me,” he requested gently. 

River opened her mouth but was interrupted by the sound of high-pitched wailing coming from the car. She winced and looked down at their feet. 

The Doctor’s eyes widened comically, “You didn’t… No… How…”

“Please, Doctor!” River held out her hands and backed up towards the car. She had her palms out in the hope that it would stop him but to no avail. He stepped around her and walked to the other side of the car. Looking through the back passenger window he saw a small human-like infant strapped into a safety seat screaming at the top of his lungs. The wee lad’s face was bright red and tears shone against his chubby cheeks. He strained against the straps that held him in place, his small hands fisted as they fruitlessly batted the air in frustration. 

The Doctor looked up and stared at his wife incredulously over the car, “What did you do?” His voice came out gruff and his eyebrows pulled down low over his sharp eyes. 

“I didn’t kidnap him if that’s what you want to know!” She snapped. This whole thing was _not_ going how she planned it during her ride back from the university. 

The Doctor frowned deeper, if that was even possible, before reaching out and opening the door. With the door opened the wails escaped the confines of the car and pierced the air. Reaching into the vehicle the Doctor deftly unbuckled the child and pulled the infant into his arms. Hushing him as he held the lad against his chest the Doctor made his way towards the house with barely a glance at his wife. 

Swearing under her breath River kicked the back tire of the car before wrenching the door open and snatching the two duffle bags from the back seat. It hadn’t even been four months since they had that very painful conversation of children and how it would be galactically stupid to even try to have one on such short borrowed time and what does she do? Brings a child home one day after work with no warning! This was going to take one hell of a lot of explaining. 

It wasn’t until later that evening when the boy was wrapped up in soft blankets and was sleeping peacefully in their room that River and the Doctor finally sat down to talk. A glass of red in her hand and a tumbler of whiskey in his, the Doctor looked at his wife but before he could ask anything she let out a deep sigh and buried her head in her hands. Shuffling over towards her the Doctor began to rub slow circles on her back. 

Lifting her head, she placed a hand on his free one, “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, “I didn’t know what to do.”

“Start from the start,” he suggested even as he continued to rub circles into her back. 

Nodding a little, she picked up her glass again and started to spin it lazily as she began, “I was packing up to come back early after my last lecture when four police officers walked in. They showed me a picture of one of my students.” 

Her voice softened to a whisper, “Apparently there was a call into the station from a concerned neighbour when the baby wouldn’t stop crying. The neighbour had knocked on the door but with no answer, she had rung the police. When they arrived they had to break down the door. They found Kristina on the floor in a pool of her own blood.”

River’s eyes glinted with steel as her voice hardened, “They were careful not to say whether it was suicide or murder. When I asked what was happening with her son I was told that there were no known relatives in the system and that he was going to be sent to a children’s home off world. I was not going to let that happen.”

River shifted and the Doctor’s hand fell from her back, “I am going to find out what happened to that poor girl. She deserves that at the very least, she loved her son and was working to give him a good life, I will not let her efforts be in vain.” 

The Doctor looked at his wife, every muscle in her body screamed defiance but her eyes spoke of fear and loss. He nodded once and the tension that held her frame tight melted away, “Thank you,” she whispered. 

The Doctor and his wife sat and talked. They talked of the present and the future, how to bring justice to a young mum and what they would do if they were given custody of the small boy. The hours blended into each other as they held one another and dreamed of a life they never thought possible. It was only when a sharp wail pierced the air that they were shaken out of their quiet conversation.

Gesturing for River to stay where she was the Doctor stood and made his way towards the bedroom he shared with his wife. Reaching down into the crib that he had fetched from the TARDIS the Doctor picked up the crying infant. 

“Benas, Ben, Benny.” He bounced the child as he soothed the boy by repeating the lad’s name.

Four years had passed since that fateful day when Benas found his way into the Doctor’s life. Since then Kristina’s killer had been brought to justice and the Doctor and River had fought a long battle to name him as their son. It had only been in the last year that the final paperwork was signed and the court had officially made them his parents. 

River held a small present in her hands, the wrapping paper was brown paper covered in scribbles and drawings made by Benny. She lovingly traced her finger over the crayon lines as she blindly reached for the white envelope on the counter. Slipping her card into the envelope she made her way outside. Standing at the edge of their small deck she could see her two boys at the bottom of the softly sloping hill. Benny had his hands fisted in the kite string while the Doctor held the kite up towards the breeze. 

She made her way towards them and watched with a smile as her husband launched the kite into the air. It was caught by the gentle wind and lifted into the sky to the delight of her pre-schooler. He shouted with glee. The Doctor crouched beside the boy and pointing up into the air he explained how the different forces held the kite in place. Benny frowned in concentration even as he nodded watching the kite shift far above them. 

Walking up behind them, River congratulated them on a successful flight. Hearing his mother’s voice Benny spun around and, in his excitement, let go of the kite string. Throwing himself against her legs the young boy babbled about how he and the Doctor had gotten the kite to fly. River smiled and patted his head as she bit back a laugh. The Doctor was penguin-running after the kite. Finally grabbing hold of the string, he spun around and smiled smugly at his wife.

While the Doctor made his way back to his small family River crouched beside Benny, “Do you remember what today is?” She asked the boy. 

“Daddy’s day.” The child nodded. 

“That’s right! When he gets back you can give him his present ok.”

“Yep!” Benny smiled and clutched the present tightly to his chest. 

Standing up River stretched out her arm and handed the enveloped card to the Doctor. With a quick look at the bouncing boy at his feet the Time Lord took the card and opened it. Quickly following the written words with his eyes a lump formed in his throat. 

Kneeling in front of the lad the Doctor questioned him, “What’s that?”

Benny giggled, “Your present!”

“My present? What do I need that for? Is it my birthday?”

“No silly!” The boy laughed again. “It’s your Daddy’s Day present!” He shoved the gift towards the Doctor. 

Blinking back tears the Doctor scooped up the little boy, “ _Daddy_ ,” he whispered into his giggling son’s hair. 

This was it, his first Father’s Day since the completion of the adoption. The first Father’s Day where he could wrap his arms around his son, his **son** , and no one could argue that this little boy wasn’t his. This day was surely one of the most blessed days, a day to remember for all of eternity.

**Author's Note:**

> So this story was going to be something along the lines of "one time the Doctor didn't celebrate Father's Day and two times he did." While it didn't turn out like that I still think this works ok and hopefully you enjoyed it somewhat. 
> 
> Interesting little side note, I chose "Benas" as the boy's name as a nod towards Lithuania where my younger siblings were born and my awesome Dad who opened his heart up to four kids who needed a dad. Happy Father's Day Dad! 
> 
> JBeans


End file.
